As in other aspects of our lives, in landscaping we can implement ideas for green living to save energy, make the earth a cleaner place in which to live — and save money, too! Here are a few Earth Day landscaping tips from your friends at Platinum Stone Design:

Push it! Old-fashioned reel lawn mowers are an eco-friendly alternative to gas-powered rotary models. These devices are muscle-powered, so there’s no engine involved. Using them not only promotes energy conservation but also clean air.

Cutting Back on Lawn Space: Reducing lawn space can not only save energy used by traditional mowers, but also promotes water conservation. Lawns require more watering than planting beds. In watering planting beds comprised of individual plants, you can target the watering better (using drip irrigation, for instance), thereby promoting water conservation. Replacing the extra lawn space with interlocking pavers that allow for proper drainage can save a huge amount of water over the summer season.

Planting for Energy Conservation: Where you locate plantings of trees and shrubs can also a role in energy conservation. Deciduous trees can be planted to the south and west of a home to serve as shade trees, reducing summer air conditioning costs. Because such trees will drop their leaves in winter, they won’t deprive your home of sunlight when you need it. Evergreen trees planted to the north and west of a home can serve as windbreaks. By breaking the wind, such trees will reduce your heating costs in winter. Likewise, shrubs used as foundation plantings can reduce heating costs, creating an insulating dead air space around the home. Plant the shrubs a few feet away from your foundation.